LONDON, Dec. 23 (SANA) Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, called on Monday for the suspension of Israel’s membership in the UN General Assembly, citing what she described as genocide in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023.
In an interview with Anadolu Agency, Albanese said that “the truth cannot be silenced,” stressing that “Israel should not sit in the United Nations as if it were a normal member state” while committing widespread violations.
She also called for a comprehensive political and cultural boycott, criticizing Israel’s participation in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest as inconsistent with what she described as the scale of crimes committed. Albanese noted that some countries’ boycotts of the contest represent a form of effective pressure that should extend beyond the cultural sphere to include political and legal measures at the international level.
Albanese said Israel has violated human rights for years, adding that the past two years have seen an unprecedented escalation of violence.
“Israel is an illegal, apartheid occupying power,” she said, adding that it is facing legal proceedings before both the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ). She urged the international community to take “firmer steps” and to maintain sustained popular and political pressure to halt what she described as ongoing crimes.
